The handmade’s tale

MEN’S WATCHES GET THE METIER D’ARTS TREATMENT

Featuring hand-painted, jewelencrusted dials, Métiers d’Art watches are extremely limited and traditionally female-focused. But for 2017, a host of manufactures have created timepieces with men in mind. Graff’s MasterGraff GyroGraff World comprises a dial made of blue aventurine (goldspeckled glass), which has been hand-painted for 60 hours to create a mind-blowing galaxy pattern. Jaquet Droz’s Petite Heure Minute Lion features a magnificent big cat. Painted directly onto a black grand feu enamel dial, each portrait is unique and the watch is limited to 28 pieces. Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art Copernicus Celestial Spheres collection features three watches depicting the world according to Renaissance astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. One watch features a grand feu enamel dial, another is hand-engraved and the final piece is both laser- and hand-engraved. An acquired taste perhaps, but they’re all undeniably works of art.

MasterGraff GyroGraff World, £POA;

graffdiamonds.com

Petite Heure Minute Lion, £25,400;

jaquet-droz.com

Métiers d’Art Copernicus Celestial Spheres Ref 7600U: hand-engraved, £102,100; laser-engraved, £91,400; enamel, £134,400;

vacheron-constantin.com